Silent Steel
| image= | tag= | author=Richard Ryley | language= | rating= | type= | genre= | chapters=4 | words=17, 525 | pub_date=March 18th, 2011 | update=August 6th, 2012 | current_status= }} Silent Steel is written by Richard Ryley and began online publication on March 18th, 2011.Richard Ryley at Fanfiction.net - Retrieved 28-09-2014 It was completed on August 6th, 2012. Description Plot Chapter 1 Akane Tendo greets Ranma Saotome as she enters the Tendo home in female form. Ranma is soaking wet, and looks depressed, so Akane offers to comfort her. Prior to this Ranma had been traumatized by a rape attempt and lost his voice, although he has recently reclaimed it. Ranma tells Akane that a bunch of boys had ogled and whistled at her because of her wet clothing, but unlike similar encounters in the past, this one didn't make her mad. Ranma feels that she is starting to come to terms with what happened and accept the feminine parts of her identity. Akane comforts Ranma by holding her protectively, the way Ranma would often hold Akane, in his male form, and Ranma falls asleep in her arms. Chapter 2 While Ranma continues to sleep in Akane's lap, Kasumi Tendo answers the door, to find Nodoka Saotome, who has come looking for her son. Both Kasumi and Akane, aware of Genma Saotome's abuse of Ranma, decide it would be dangerous to make Nodoka aware of the curse without knowing more about her, and subtly question her. Finally concluding she can trust Nodoka, Akane awakens Ranma and, pretending she is a friend of hers from school, tells her to go upstairs to 'wake Ranma'. Ranma comes back down in male form and greets his mother, who is reassured by Ranma's thoughtful and polite speech (a side effect of his losing his voice). Ranma then tells the story of his life in detail, beginning with his abuse at the hands of Genma, and ending with his being cursed and almost raped. Nodoka is obviously stunned by this, as well as the obvious love she senses between Akane and Ranma, in both of his forms. She leaves, saying she will return after she has thought about what she has seen. Chapter 3 Nodoka returns to meet with the entire Tendo family, as well as Ranma and Akane. She tells them about the seppuku contract, and that she feels she cannot honor it, as her son has already suffered enough. However, she has dishonored herself by dishonoring the contract and putting her son in that position, so she leaves her fate to Ranma to decide. While Ranma deliberates, Akane's emotional turmoil becomes too much for her, and she breaks down in tears, hugging Ranma and begging him not to leave her. Nabiki Tendo lets them both off the hook by analyzing the contract and saying that since Ranma has left Genma and declared that he is no longer his father, he can't satisfy the contract. Since it cannot be fulfilled, the contract is legally void. Nodoka expresses her relief, but admits she has a problem with seeing her manly son acting so vulnerable. She asks Ranma to pose as her daughter for a while in his female form, to give her time to get used to the idea. She also says Ranma can express his feelings and seek comfort from Akane as long as he is in his female form at the time. Ranma and Akane agree to Nodoka's plans, and offer to take female Ranma shopping so she can buy some appropriate clothes. Epilogue Akane consults with her and Ranma's psychologist, Mitaka-sensei. She relates some of her internal feelings and conflicts during the scenes above, and asks if she did the right thing, by encouraging Ranma to feel vulnerable and turn to her for comfort and security. Mitaka-sensei agrees that both she and Ranma needed this, and that what they have been taught about traditional male and female roles has been in large part harmful to them. She encourages Akane to analyze Nodoka's behavior, and to conclude that she is not ready to give up her own rigid feelings about men and women yet, but that she is trying in her own way to make up for the harm that she feels she has done. Akane meets with Ranma after the session, and encouraged by Mitaka-sensei's advice, shares some of her more intimate feelings for him before asking him to take her shopping. Notes *A sequel to ''The Silent Horse by M. Zephyr. See Also External Links *[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6834408/1/Silent-Steel Silent Steel at] Fanfiction.net - Retrieved 28-09-2014 References